Skole



Feb. 28, 1956 v s o 2,736,180

KNITTING OF STOCKINGS Filed July 6, 1953 I INVENTOR 1/ 990 JkoZe BY W 76.

ATTORNF United States Patent KNITTING 0F STOCKINGS Viggo Skole, Laven,Denmark Application July 6, 1953, Serial No. 366,324 Claims priority,application Denmark July 8, 1952 1 Claim. (Cl. 66-89) This invention hasto do with the knitting of stockings and more particularly it is anobject to carry out the knitting of a flat stocking blank in such amanner that the danger of premature destruction of the final stockingowing to ravelling stitches is reduced.

It has been found that next to the toe, the heel portion of a stocking,and particularly the zone near the upper end of the heel rounding is oneof the most delicate spots of a stocking where systematic injury to thestitches of the stocking is likely to occur and from which ravellingwales may then propagate in the full length of the stocking so thatrepair will be difficult if at all possible.

It is therefore an object of the invention to take such measures in theproduction of the stocking that the danger of the ravelling stitchesrunning along the stocking starting from the delicate heel portion ofthe stocking is substantially reduced.

To achieve this, according to the invention, when the knitting of a fiatstocking blank has proceeded to a point at some distance above the pointwhere the heel portion is to commence, the transfer needles or points ofthe knitting machine are caused to perform a series of progressiveinward transfer movements, starting from the firm selvages of the blank,without at the same time changing the path of the yarn carrier or yarncarriers. Preferably the transfer amounts to one transfer needle spacingfor each successive course knitted. By causing the transfer needles andthe yarn carriers to operate as described, wales will be formed runningobliquely inwards and downwards from the firm selvages of the stockingblank.

Consequently, when the stocking blank is sewn together to form the finalstocking, the wales of the stocking in the said zone immediately abovethe heel portion will run at an angle towards the seam of the stocking,and ravelling wales originated in the heel portion or at theparticularly delicate zone at the upper end thereof can only proceedalong the relatively short distance to the seam, so that a repair can bemade within a restricted area and with a minimum of trouble andexpenses.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the successive inwardtransfer movements are performed by means of a transfer apparatus, inwhich a needle has been removed in a position such that the emptytransfer needle seat comes into position above the stocking blank onlyafter a number of the said progressive inward transfer movements havebeen performed, whereby, in the narrowing in the toe portion of thestocking two inclined rows of interlocking stitches will be producedwhich in the finished stocking will form a ravel trap at the bottom footportion.

In this manner, without additional operations, the danger of ravellingin the said bottom foot portion is also reduced.

The invention will now be described in further detail with reference tothe accompanying drawing which diagrammatically shows the foot portionof a stocking blank 2,736,180 Patented Feb. 28, 1956) ice produced in afull fashioned straight bar machine by the method according to theinvention.

In the drawing, 1 is the shaft of a stocking which is knit in the usualmanner. Immediately above the heel rounding a series of inward transfermovements, one needle spacing at a time, are performed, starting fromthe firm selvages 2 of the stocking whereby a narrowing line 3 isproduced. However, the path of the yarn carriers and so the width overwhich the yarns are carried is not changed while the said inwardtransfer movements are carried out. Consequently the width of thestocking blank is not changed, but the direction of the wales is changedso that the wales will take a course at an angle inwards and downwards.It is to be understood that the whole row of transfer needles is movedprogressively in the inward direction, the innermost transfer needlefirst engaging the toe blank at the edge thereof and then progressingalong the line 3. Moreover, it will be seen that the row of transferneedles is wide enough to cover the whole width of the zone between theline 3 and the firm selvage of the blank.

The zone in which the inclined wales are present, forming the lowermostzone of the stocking shaft immediately above the point where the heelrounding is to commence, is denoted by the reference character 4 in thedrawing. Following the series of transfer movements by which thenarrowing line 3 is produced, a series of outward transfer movements isperformed to produce the heel rounding in the usual manner whereby thewidening line 5 is produced. The knitting of the stocking is nowcontinued as usual to form the foot and toe portions. In the exampleshown, the stocking is terminated by a loop toe, but of course thetermination could be made in the form of a loopless toe as well. Asusual, one or two reinforcing yarns may be introduced in the heel andsole portion to form a reinforcement. T o simplify the illustration,this is not shown in the drawing.

In the particular stocking blank shown in the drawing, a V-shaped raveltrap 6 has been produced in the manner described in my co-pendingapplication No. 272,842. Since this has no particular relation to thepresent invention, no detailed description of the ravel trap or themethod of its formation will be given.

Owing to the inclined wales in the zone 4, possible ravelling wales inthe heel zone will proceed to the firm selvages only, which in thefinished stocking are sewn together to form the seam. At this point, theravelling wales are stopped and a repair within a very restricted areais therefore possible.

In the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated, the transferapparatus by means of which the inward transfer movements in the zone 4as well as the subsequent transfer movements are performed is modifiedby removing one transfer needle at some distance from the innermostneedle forming the narrowing line 3. The empty transfer needle seat willmove into position above the stocking blank some time after the inwardtransfer movements above the heel rounding has been started and in thismanner a series of holes 7 is formed parallel to the narrowing line 3.Similarly, a series of holes 8 parallel to the widening line 5, and aseries of holes 9 parallel to the ravel trap 6 are formed. All theseseries of holes are of no particular significance. Finally, however, aseries of holes 11 will be formed parallel to the narrowing line 10 inthe toe portion of the stocking, these holes forming interlockingstitches effective as a. ravel trap at the bottom side or sole of thetoe upon sewing together of the toe blank to form the stocking. As willbe seen, no extra operation is required to form this ravel trap, and theseries of holes which are incidentally formed in the other zones of thestocking, are of no harm, but may serve as a decoration.

3 I claim: In a flat knitting of a stocking blank, the steps ofperforming, in a zone immediately above the point at which the heelportion is to commence, a plurality of progres- 4 performing a pluralityof progressive outward transfers of all the wales included in the lastone of said inward transfers, while at the same time correspondinglyincreasing the width over which the yarn is carried, to form the siveinward transfers starting from the firm selvages of 5 heel widening ofthe blank.

the blank, the first transfer comprising one Wale only immediatelyadjacent each firm selvage of the blank, and the succeeding transferscomprising an increasing number of Wales from each firm selvage inwards,keeping the width over which the yarn is carried constant While all ofthese inward transfers are being efiected, and then References Cited inthe, file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

